|
Author: Kal Bishop Article source: http://www.storyscribe.com/. Used with author's permission.
Structure in the form of frameworks, work processes and goals enhances creative output:
a) Short term goals (incremental productivity) produce more output than a "do your best" approach. Writing four pages a day completes a words-on-paper first draft screenplay in one month. A "do your best" or "waiting for inspiration" approach can take months or years. Witness the untold number of people with unfinished manuscripts under their beds.
b) Work processes such as separating creative from critical thinking and other techniques help to a) unblock the mind, b) tap into tacit knowledge, c) trigger the mind into working at various cognitive levels and d) apply a) and b) and c) to the areas of problem identification and idea generation and evaluation.
c) Frameworks reduce complex problems into their component intellectual parts. For example, story structure can be reduced to three or four acts or The Hero With A Thousand Faces (Campbell, 1973). Frameworks increase output by reducing complex problems into smaller, more manageable problem solving exercises. Frameworks tell the screenwriter where to start, where to finish, what to write and what should be happening at a particular stage of the story.
Additionally, a structured approach improves performance in a number of ways, including:
a) Structure triggers prolific production and simply being prolific improves performance and quality. The single best creative product tends to appear at that point in the career when creator is being most prolific. Experience refines knowledge and methodology towards optimal levels.
b) Structure triggers engagement and simply engaging in the tasks results in problem identification and stimulates the mind into working on those problems at various cognitive levels, resulting in inspiration. Screenwriters often find that their best ideas come to them when they are in the middle of writing a screenplay.
c) Structure triggers problem identification which in turn triggers incubation. Problems incubate until answers become apparent. Increasing the incidence and frequency of problem identification increases the incidence and frequency of insight.
d) Increased problem identification (coupled with motivation) increases the incidence of solution seeking, through active search for stimuli and intellectual cross pollination through networks and collaboration.
e) Radical shifts (originality) occur through sustained incremental change. By incrementally modifying output, the distance between the original and final versions increases. Radical shifts sometimes result from dramatic events or conditions but the vast number of gains accrue from continuous incremental improvement.
f) Quality gains, measured on many levels, are result of sustained incremental changes.
The Hero's Journey and various story structure templates can be found at http://www.managing-creativity.com.
You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.
Kal Bishop, MBA
**********************************
You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author's name and site URL are retained. Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached on http://www.managing-creativity.com.
Selling: an art of a skill?
Selling is as much an art as it is a skill. The basics of the
selling process can be learned by anyone, but the practice
of selling is something that the supe...
Archaeology
The field of archaeology received a great boost in the expedition Napoleon took to Egypt. Along the way he was given the treasures of Malta which might have inc...
Inspirations: Even More Things Ive Noticed Along the Way So Far
I have just one question for husbands (or wives for that matter) who don't believe in marriage counseling. "Do you believe more in dovorce?"
Marketing For Just Cause
Cause marketing is a relationship between a for-profit and a nonprofit that brings in money and resources for the nonprofit, while providing credibility and goo...
Weight Loss Secrets from Hollywood Movie Stars – LA Personal Trainer Speaks Out!
In the early nineties I had the opportunity to work with some of the most famous movie stars in the world. As a manager and personal trainer for Kathy Smith and...
Animal Massage
"What is Animal Massage? Animal massage is a therapeutic bodywork for, you guessed it: pets and other animals! Animal massage, like human bodywork, is the manip...
The Iniquitous Slip
How to handle rejections slips, the bane of all writers.
The Paradox of Job Enrichment
When managers set out to give employees badly-needed self-respect and job satisfaction, they sometimes find this area is filled with minefields...
Revealed! The Secrets of Mangosteen
Article discusses the considerable health benefits of Mangosteen. This is currently a little known fruit from southeast Asia.
How to Have Longer Sex Easily
When it comes to sex, you want it to last a long time. Most women take a good deal longer than men to orgasm from vaginal penetration than men do from sex. That...
Experience Mothers Day In A Whole New Way
Mother's Day is the day when sons, daughters and husbands buy gifts and flowers to recognize the incredible work mom has done raising the children. But some mom...
Got Purpose?
Is your life on purpose? Does just the question stop you in your tracks? Have you been so caught up in the pace of our world that you've not even thought lately...
Networking Tips for Moms at Home
Find out how to network online and offline to make your business grow.
Your Words Will Determine Your Business!
Internet is a faceless world. Here your sole medium of communication is the written word. It is in your emails. It is in your sales letters. It is in your webs...
Goal Getting: 5 Steps to Get You There Quickly
One of the things that frustrated me while in school was that most of the psychology books specialized in complicating things. It's the same with many self-help...
Objective Meditations: What is Reality?
Is reality a projection from within the mind, or is it an "altered lens" into the outside world? Let's look at the altered lens theory first. Obviously, we ar...
How Not To Be Ripped Off By Mortgage Brokers
Mortgage brokers working in the adverse credit market have had it easy for a while. The fees they charge can be at best be described as "slightly excessive" and...
Record Your Meals To Lose Weight
One of the most important aspects of losing weight is keeping a diet journal.
Why Write a Sales Letter for Each Product?
Authors/publishers are great at getting their books written. Entrepreneurs know their products. But after the initial one-year honeymoon, sales slow down. To c...
Take Home The Money
Don't swing for the fences when trading.
A Guide To Using an Automatic Responder
If your thinking what the heck is an automatic responder then read on, it's the most powerful marketing tool on the Internet and you NEED one.
Triple Your Traffic with Top Keyword Strategies
Savvy keyword selection and management remain an important tool in the webmaster's search positioning arsenal. This article covers five tips to help webmasters...
How to Retain Your Customers the Dish Network Way
It is important to retain customers in a company. The following article discusses what can be learned from the way Dish Network does their business.
If We Are Eating 99% Fat Free, Why Are We 99% Fat?!
It's amazing that we are buying 99% fat free products, yet 60% of the population is overweight or obese. How can this be?
|
Print this page